Quint Kessenich: Previewing the NCAA Quarterfinals

Quint Kessenich writes this column for The Baltimore Sun every Friday. For more lacrosse news from The Sun, visit their Lacrosse Insider blog for daily news and notes. Also, follow them on Twitter @LacrosseInsider.

The payoff of the playoffs is here.

A record-setting crowd is expected Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, where Johns Hopkins and Maryland will meet to begin the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament quarterfinals. The largest-ever attendance in this round (17,017) also came at Annapolis, in 2008.

The next day, PPL Park in Chester, Pa. — two hours up Interstate 95 — will host NCAA tournament games for the first time.

For the winners, a berth in the semifinals along with validation of all the work that went into getting this far.

For the losers, well ... nobody remembers a quarterfinal loser. Here are the keys for each team to move on to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., for championship weekend:

Johns Hopkins

1. Learn from last year's quarterfinal loss to Denver. The Blue Jays must block out all the noise and distractions while maintaining proper focus.

2. Create a 30-plus-possession game. Maryland operates like Novocain on offense, chewing clock, grinding while body punching and committing few unforced turnovers. The Terps play painfully slow. Hopkins must defend alertly during the Terps' long possessions. In the regular-season game between the teams, Hopkins only had 11 second-half possessions. The Jays must create a more fan-friendly tempo.

3. Handle the defensive matchups better and defend the Terps' two-man games. Owen Blye torched the Jays with four goals in April. Coach Dave Pietramala must properly assign his defenders to cover Blye, Joe Cummings, Mike Chanenchuk, Drew Snider and Kevin Cooper. Hopkins must use textbook technique and communicate with clarity on all pick-and-rolls.

4. Initiate the offense from behind the goal with attackmen Zach Palmer, Chris Boland and Wells Stanwick on a few occasions. The Jays don't possess dominant dodgers at attack but have to keep the Terps on their heels and honest. This can lead to open “step-down” shots from midfielders. The Terps' defense is most vulnerable to pressure from down below, while their midfield defense is exceptional.

Maryland

1. Own the loose balls. Groundball wins through effort and toughness will determine possession and dictate momentum. Faceoff men Curtis Holmes and Charlie Raffa must get to 50 percent on Hopkins' Mike Poppleton.

2. Draw on the positive NCAA playoff experiences of 2011 and 2012. Maryland has won four of its past five postseason games, beating North Carolina, Syracuse, Duke and Lehigh.

4. Set shots are much more accurate than shots on the run. When midfielders Chanenchuk, Snider, Michael Shakespeare and John Haus are able to get their hands free and set their feet, they are accurate shooters. When they are releasing off an alley dodge or sweeping, the Terps' percentage plummets. Dodging with authority and then kicking the ball to the weak side can lead to set shots.

Loyola

1. Don't make this game bigger than it already is. Beating any good team three times in one year is difficult, but the Greyhounds just have to prevail Saturday. The key is to block out the past and concern yourself with the here and now.

2. Square up and defend the “one-handed” Canadian players who are lethal when they can dodge to free up their hand of choice. Mark Matthews is primarily left-handed, while Jeremy Noble, Cameron Flint and Wes Berg rely exclusively on their right hands.

3. Get the ball to snipers Mike Sawyer and Eric Lusby (Severna Park) in their prime wing shooting areas. Sawyer has the nation's most dangerous right-handed whip shot from midrange, and Lusby loves to turn the corner left-handed.

4. Faceoffs are a team exercise. Its more about wing play than the two guys down in the crouch. For Loyola to have success, it can't just be about Denver's Chase Carraro and the Greyhounds' J.P. Dalton. Carraro took 21 of 25 draws in the first meeting and is a jackrabbit.

Denver

1. Bounce back physically from an exhausting first-round win over North Carolina. Coach Bill Tierney must manage his team's energy in practice this week, balancing sufficient repetitions with rest.

2. Hit the net. The Pioneers sailed some good looks wide of the goal in the two losses to Loyola. They must pressure Loyola goalie Jack Runkel and shoot 30 percent.

3. Don't let Loyola run in transition and score off early offense. The Greyhounds thrive when they are causing turnovers and running the field with Josh Hawkins, Pat Laconi and long pole Scott Ratliff.

4. Clear the ball cleanly. The young Pioneers defense has struggled in this department at times this spring. Freshman goalie Ryan LaPlante must handle the ball with care — second-chance opportunities are killers.

Notre Dame

1. Zone offense. The Fighting Irish haven't been asked to score against a zone very often this year. Coach Kevin Corrigan will be emphasizing spacing, cutting and making proper decisions when the Wahoos whip out their 3-3 zone.

2. Don't let Virginia run roughshod over the middle of the field. The Cavaliers have a menacing force in Chris LaPierre, a ground ball machine and general wrecking ball who sets the tone with his energy plays and rugged attitude. Keep him quiet.

3. Defend Steele Stanwick. Notre Dame guards dodges out front better than it does pressure from behind. The Irish's “socialist” defensive philosophy allows for switches, but is that in their best interest when Kevin Randall switches off Stanwick?

4. Shoot at least 30 percent. This team is deep on offense but devoid of stars. The Irish have been looking sharp in their patterns, but none of that will matter if they revert to shooting 20 percent.

Virginia

2. Shoot high and hard on Notre Dame goalie John Kemp. My film study has shown that the All-American is an exceptional stopper at his feet. He has been beaten by high howitzers more than worm-burners.

3. Mix man-to-man defensive schemes with a 3-3 zone to confuse and keep the Irish thinking. It's hard to play fast and loose when your opponent mixes schemes within a possession or out of a timeout.

4. In Steele we trust. Stanwick has always been a clutch performer, displaying nerves of steel. Make sure he gets enough touches to be a difference-maker.

Duke

1. Parlay an experience advantage into a sixth straight trip to championship weekend by getting off to a great start. Make a statement during the first 10 minutes of the game and never let party-crasher Colgate get comfortable or confident.

2. Defender Henry Lobb must limit Peter Baum to four points or fewer with minimal hockey assists. Lobb, nicknamed the Lobster, is tall and rangy with agile feet. He has become one of the most accomplished cover men in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but Baum has speed the Blue Devils haven't seen since practicing against their own Ned Crotty and Matt Danowski.

3. Goalie Dan Wigrizer has to stop at least 55 percent of shots.

4. Score off faceoffs. CJ Costabile is a possession machine on the wings of faceoffs or taking the draws himself. He terrorizes ball carriers and can jump-start odd-man rushes. Duke is best when dominating the middle of the field and scoring transition goals.

Colgate

1. Stay in personality. Colgate has a distinct aggressive offensive style, ranking second nationally in goals per game. You've come so far — stay true to who you are.

2. Take what the defense gives you. Baum must balance his touches and attack aggressively while making his teammates dangerous. Baum is quick and fast, and leads the nation in points with 95. The Portland, Ore., native is looking to become the first player since 1999 to surpass 100.

3. Sophomore goalie Conor Murphy must relax in his second career start, see the ball and clear it well.

4. Defend Duke's strong-handed tendencies. Robert Rotanz and Jordan Wolf prefer their right hand, while Christian Walsh and Josh Dionne are nifty southpaws. Shade and approach these ball carriers to the letter of the scouting report.